One of athletics' oft-forgotten heroes, a volunteer who devotes many hours a week to coach Britain's athletics, has been awarded a prestigious honour.

Cardiff AAC sprint coach Tom Meyer picked up the Sports Council for Wales Volunteer Coach of the Year award at a ceremony in the Welsh Institute.

Meyer, 50 next month, has been coaching at the club for 15 years after being 'roped in' to help when he took his daughters Sarah and Rachel to join the club.

Widely respected as being a major influence in the nurturing and developing of Melbourne-bound Tim Benjamin - not least by the athlete himself - Meyer had been rewarded for his dedication and hard work by being made Wales' National Events coach for the 400metres although he still has athletes who specialise in the shorter sprints in his squad.

Meyer says his main motivation is seeing his charges achieve their potential.

'It's a special feeling to know you have taught a youngster the right discipline, the right way to keep fit and to develop and progress,' he said.

'I had other athletes who might have been slightly better than Tim in the squad, but there's only so much I can do, the rest is up to them.

'Some of Tim's squad mates weren't as dedicated or disciplined as he was. He stuck at it and is reaping the benefits now.'

The award came as a complete shock to the modest Meyer.

'I knew nothing about it until I had the letter saying I was to receive the award at the ceremony.

'It was great to be there with other award winners and obviously it was very special to be in there with Mike Ruddock. A very proud moment.'

Meyer believes his greatest achievement to date was the silver medal won by Stephen Herbert at the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney.

'Stephen has to be the best to date,' he says. 'But I think Tim will go one better some time in the future.'

Herbert, who has cerebral palsy, has been coached to a succession of European, world and Paralympic championships by the quietly-spoken coach. And he believes his current crop of athletes will make their mark on the international and world stage in the future.

One of his latest triumphs is Lloyd Refell, a young man from Ely who is officially ranked sixth in the UK, although Meyer believes he should be ranked fourth.

He spotted Refell in a Welsh Schools championships in Brecon three years ago.

'He won the 100 and 200m from a standing start, wearing a pair of spikes given to him by Christian Malcolm,' he explained. 'I can show him what he needs to do - the rest is up to him.'

Meyer takes his squad through five sessions a week.

'Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and on Sundays we go to the sand dunes at Merthyr Mawr. It's no picnic,' he says with the faintest trace of a smile.

'You can only do that with a very understanding family - my wife's a saint,' he admits.

Meyer's still ambitious but recognises the limitations of a voluntary coach.

'You have to be full time if you want to take an athlete to the top. I realise I will have to let athletes move on to better coaches who can devote more time to guiding their careers,' he added.